Lakota Guides

What Lakota Guides does

Lakota Guides is a Colorado-based outdoor adventure operator and one of four wholly-owned brand divisions of Adventure Outdoors LLC, a privately-held, family-operated company founded in 1975 with 50 years of cumulative experience across its portfolio. Lakota Guides' core offerings are horseback rides, UTV side-by-side off-road tours, and sporting clays, operated from its Wolcott, CO location in the Vail/Beaver Creek area. It operates alongside sister brands Glenwood Adventure Company (whitewater rafting, bike rentals), Bair Ranch (horseback, UTV tours, cowboy cookout), and Colorado Rafting Adventures (Arkansas River rafting), giving Adventure Outdoors coverage of Colorado's premier mountain destinations including Glenwood Springs, Vail/Beaver Creek, Buena Vista/Salida, Glenwood Canyon, and Parachute.

The company sells guided adventure experiences directly to consumers through the Adventure Outdoors booking platform (coloradoraft.com) and via phone reservations. Activities range from family-friendly floats and horseback rides to Class IV-V whitewater rafting and overnight river expeditions, with all equipment, safety gear, and instruction included. A premium tier — the Signature Series — provides private luxury experiences with concierge-level hosting, transportation from Aspen/Vail Valley/Glenwood Springs, and curated gourmet provisions. Revenue is generated on a transaction-fee basis through per-person or per-group bookings; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Commercial operations depend on special use permits from the White River National Forest and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, plus a Licensed River Outfitter authorization from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

The business relies entirely on inbound tourist demand across Colorado's mountain regions, with no enterprise/B2B customers, no disclosed funding, and an 11-50 employee headcount that signals a small-to-mid-sized regional operator. Distribution is multi-channel: a self-serve website with activity search and filtering, telephone reservations, on-site check-in at physical locations, and an active organic social presence plus influencer program on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Vimeo. There is no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed AI/ML capability, no patents or trademarks recorded, and no third-party integrations beyond standard web and marketing infrastructure.

Name

Lakota Guides

Legal name

Adventure Outdoors LLC

Website

https://lakotaguides.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lakota Guides is a Colorado-based outdoor adventure operator — one of four brands under Adventure Outdoors LLC — offering guided horseback rides, UTV off-road tours, and sporting clays from Wolcott, CO, serving individual tourists and small groups across Colorado's mountain destinations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Adventure Tourism

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAAADAF

Off-Road & Overland Adventure Tour Operators (4x4, ATV/UTV)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Outdoor Adventure Tour Operators (Hiking, Rafting, Climbing, Safari)

SECONDARYTHAAADAD

Safari & Wildlife Adventure Tour Operators (Land-Based)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Outdoor Adventure Tour Operators (Hiking, Rafting, Climbing, Safari)

SECONDARYTHAAALAE

Wildlife & Nature Interpretation Guides (Birding, Photography, Naturalist)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Adventure & Ecotourism Equipment Rental & Guiding Services

SECONDARYTHAKADAG

Wildlife & Safari Tour Operators

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Tour Operators (Multi-Day Package Tours)

SECONDARYTHAAAGAB

Guided Tours & Interpretive Services (Ranger-Led, Naturalist, Cultural Interpretation)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/National Parks & Protected Area Visitor Services (Concessions, Guided Access)

Keywords

• Guided outdoor adventures
• Whitewater rafting trips
• Horseback riding tours
• UTV off-road tours
• Sporting clays activities

Headquarters

HQ city

Avon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Adventure Tour Bookings: Revenue generated from individual adventure tour bookings including whitewater rafting, horseback rides, UTV/off-road tours, sporting clays, fishing trips, and dinner adventures. Each activity is sold as a separate transaction with per-person or per-group pricing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lakota Guides is a Colorado-based outdoor adventure tour operator that provides guided horseback rides, UTV side-by-side off-road tours, and sporting clays activities from its Wolcott, CO base. It operates as a wholly-owned brand division of Adventure Outdoors LLC, a family-run adventure company with 50 years of experience that also includes Glenwood Adventure Company, Bair Ranch, and Colorado Rafting Adventures. All activities are sold as individual bookings with equipment, safety gear, and professional instruction included.

Product overview

Lakota Guides is one of four adventure brand divisions under Adventure Outdoors, a Colorado outdoor recreation company with 50 years of experience. The company operates as a unified platform offering a diverse portfolio of guided outdoor adventure activities and experiences. Core offerings include whitewater rafting (full-day adventures, Shoshone Rapids, Eagle River, family rafting), horseback riding at historic Bair Ranch, UTV off-road tours, sporting clays, cowboy cookout dinner adventures, bike riding with e-bike rentals, guided fly fishing, overnight river trips, gear rentals, and escape rooms. The Signature Series represents a premium tier of private luxury experiences with concierge-level service, transportation included, and exclusive group bookings. The brand operates across multiple Colorado destinations including Glenwood Springs, Vail/Beaver Creek, Bair Ranch/Glenwood Canyon, Buena Vista/Salida, and Parachute.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Signature Series: Full-service private luxury experiences including signature rafting adventures with concierge-level hosting, gourmet snacks and beverages, and transportation from Aspen, the Vail Valley, and Glenwood Springs.

Products and services

• Whitewater Rafting
• Horseback Riding
• Off-Road Adventures (UTV Tours)
• Sporting Clays
• Dinner Adventures (Cowboy Cookout)
• Bike Riding & E-Bike Rentals
• Fishing Trips (Guided Fly Fishing)
• Overnight Adventures
• Gear Rentals
• Escape Rooms
• Signature Series

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• White River National ForestcoreOthersAdventure Outdoors operates under special use permits from the White River National Forest for conducting outdoor adventures on public lands. This is a regulatory partnership required to operate commercial activities on national forest lands.
• U.S. Bureau of Land ManagementcoreOthersAdventure Outdoors conducts activities on public lands under special permit from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. This partnership enables operations on BLM-managed lands for various adventure activities.
• Colorado Parks and WildlifecoreOthersAdventure Outdoors is a Licensed River Outfitter issued by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, providing regulatory authorization to conduct commercial rafting and water-based activities.

Scale indicators1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Adventures in Whitewater: Colorado rafting outfitter on the Arkansas River out of Buena Vista. Direct peer given overlapping activity (whitewater rafting), shared market (Colorado), and similar customer segment.
• Wilderness Aware Rafting: Family-owned Colorado whitewater rafting outfitter based in Buena Vista on the Arkansas River. Comparable multi-decade regional brand in the same Colorado rafting market as Lakota Guides.
• Adventure Center of Estes Park: Multi-activity Colorado adventure operator offering rafting, zip lines, climbing, and other outdoor experiences. Comparable as a multi-activity outdoor adventure outfitter serving Colorado tourists.
• Echo Canyon River Adventures: Canon City, Colorado-based outfitter offering whitewater rafting and outdoor adventure experiences on the Arkansas River. Directly comparable to Lakota Guides' rafting operations and Colorado-focused multi-activity adventure model.
• Arkansas Valley Adventures: Buena Vista, Colorado rafting and adventure outfitter operating on the Arkansas River, the same waterway used by Lakota Guides' Colorado Rafting Adventures division. Directly comparable at activity, geography, and customer-segment level.
• Royal Gorge Rafting & Zip Line Tours: Colorado-based company operating whitewater rafting and zip line tours at Royal Gorge. Closely aligned with Lakota Guides in geography, customer base (Colorado adventure tourists), and core product mix.

Broad incumbents

• AVA Rafting & Zipline: One of the largest Colorado outfitters offering rafting, ziplining, and outdoor adventures across multiple rivers. Larger, multi-location operator in the same market with broader portfolio than Lakota Guides.

Regional players

• Devil's Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa: Colorado ranch-resort offering horseback riding, fly fishing, and outdoor activities. Comparable experiential/lodging-plus-activities model and land-based outdoor recreation focus in a Colorado mountain setting.
• Tennessee Pass Nordic Center & Cookhouse: Leadville-area Colorado operation offering outdoor recreation plus an outdoor cookhouse/dining experience. Comparable to Lakota Guides on the ranch-adjacent dining + outdoor activity combination at Bair Ranch.
• Rocky Mountain Adventure Center: Colorado-based adventure outfitter offering rafting, zipline, and outdoor activities. Comparable multi-activity adventure tour operator serving Colorado visitors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdDJzZRztLHY2Ke11smnjkg
• Facebookfacebook.com/LakotaGuides
• Instagraminstagram.com/adventureoutdoorscolorado
• Xx.com/lakotaguides
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lakota-guides

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lakota Guides